In Annie Murphy Paul’s fascinating book The Extended Mind, one of my favorite chapters explores how we can use our hands as both a thinking and communication tool. Today, I want to share three primary benefits of using gestures, and connect those to the world of visual thinking – where we use drawings and diagrams as thinking tools.
Our First Language
Gestures are actually the first language we learn to speak. Any parent who sees their baby reaching up with their arms instantly knows what it means: “Pick me up!” In this way, we’re all naturally bilingual.

While our use of this gestural language might fade as we grow up, its benefits continue well into adulthood.
Three Key Benefits of Hand Gestures
1. Enhanced Memory Through “Tri-Coding”
When you use hand gestures while learning something new or explaining a concept, you create multiple memory “hooks”:
- An auditory hook from speaking and hearing yourself
- A visual hook from seeing your hands move
- A proprioceptive hook from feeling your hands move
This last term, “proprioception,” might be new to you – it was to me before reading Paul’s book. It refers to our awareness of how our body moves through space, even with our eyes closed.

When you combine these three elements, you create three interconnected networks in your brain associated with that information.
2. Cognitive Offloading
Hand gestures help take pressure off your working memory. Since we can only keep track of three to seven pieces of information at once, gestures give that information somewhere else to live. Instead of mentally juggling multiple points, you can use physical space to organize your thoughts: “First this, then this, and finally this.”

3. Creating Virtual Diagrams
Gestures help us work with abstract ideas by creating what psychologist Barbara Tversky calls “virtual diagrams” in the air. These gestures can represent size, movement, spatial relationships, or even abstract concepts. Research shows that we often gesture before we speak – our hands help us understand and communicate ideas before we can fully verbalize them.

The Connection to Visual Thinking
These benefits apply whether you’re thinking through ideas alone or communicating with others. Cognitive scientist Wolff-Michael Roth found that people are more likely to gesture when they have something to gesture at, like a chart or diagram – what he calls a “visual artifact.”

In my own video work, where I film overhead shots of sketching, I’ve noticed how naturally I use hand gestures to reference different parts of the visual artifacts I create. This wasn’t intentional at first, but it creates a natural connection between my words, the visuals on the page, and the gestures that reinforce my message.
Making Gestures Work for You
If hand gestures don’t come naturally to you, it’s worth practicing and intentionally incorporating them into your thinking and communication style. Unlike trying to write one thing while saying another (which resulted in a fixable error in the video above), gestures can integrate seamlessly with speech. Look for opportunities to weave this format of thinking and communicating into your day.

Learn More
If you’re interested in developing your visual thinking skills and creating artifacts that naturally encourage gesture use, check out our program Sketch Instinct.
And for a deeper dive into gestures and other techniques for thinking outside the brain, I highly recommend reading The Extended Mind by Annie Murphy Paul – it’s been one of my favorite books in recent years.
Remember, the goal isn’t to overthink your gestures to the point where they become unnatural. Instead, let them emerge as a natural extension of your thinking and communication process. Whether you’re teaching, learning, or simply working through ideas, your hands can be powerful allies in understanding and conveying complex concepts.
Cheers,
-Doug